Ballmer wants to splash the cash because Windows Vista has been more the ' wow starts when' rather than the 'wow starts now.' Still 100 million Vista installs can't all be bad, can it?... Maybe Ballmer should start paying us to take it away?

If only Bill Gates was so unpopular. The poor multi-billionaire PC mogul has had 5,000 to 6,000 people a day want to be his friend on Facebook - and that's too many pokes for anyone.

Perhaps it's because Bill G - like Ballmer - loves to spend money on those less fortunate than himself. Bill G has now removed his profile from Facebook - another sign of what a hi-tech visionary he is. Perhaps we should give Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg a shock and all follow suit.

"It's no good boss... we can't even give 'em away" "Have you tried paying punters to take 'em, Nige?"

A bill of another kind has also been circling Microsoft this week - one for the $528 million dollar the company should have paid to the state of Washington for all the software its sold over the years. The bill is theoretical because Microsoft has its licensing HQ in Nevada where there are no taxes on software. Since Microsoft set up the Nevada office in 1997 it's made $92 billion in profits.

Big Mac, dirty Mac

Over on the other side of the OS divide, a Danish Mac fan claims to have found the world's biggest Apple USB mouse - a 2,000-metre square structure in China. If that's the mouse, speculates Kim of Kinablog.dk, then imagine how big the Mac must be? The mind boggles.

Less disturbing is the idea that because Linux users spend less money on operating systems than anyone else (are you listening, Ballmer?) that they may have more cash to spend on life's more 'pleasurable' things.. like food, heat, light, shelter or the world's biggest wind turbine. Or how about the Super Tipper Truck? "We spread our crap in all directions."

And finally

Whatever you think of the Micro-Hoo!, Microo!soft, Yah!-Soft (Sounds like a sport for Hooray Henries) deal, perhaps the biggest waste of money this week has been the purchase of the cruises.co.uk domain name by a British travel agent. The company paid £560,000 for the domain name because it wants its customers to know that it offers 'a choice of cruises'. It already owns cruise.co.uk.